


Wings Together - Of A Feather

by NotSoMetalKnightmare



Series: WT-OAF Verse [1]
Category: Hoshi no Kaabii | Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, kirby - Fandom
Genre: Minor Character Death, Nonbinary Character, Other, Post canon, meta knightmare
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:48:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25743838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotSoMetalKnightmare/pseuds/NotSoMetalKnightmare
Summary: As the aftermath of the victory against Nightmare spills into the rest of the universe, secrets are discovered. Some of them are good, others bad, but they all will change things, especially for Meta Knight.
Series: WT-OAF Verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1887370
Comments: 32
Kudos: 60





	1. An Introduction

The television blared gently, the last nightly program ending and fading to static.

The power button clicked as Meta Knight pressed it - silencing the TV - before turning back around.

It had been a long day, and he didn’t appreciate the quiet being interrupted by harsh static, especially when he was doing his exercises.

They were daily routines, meant to keep his limbs strong and limber.

All his limbs.

With a whoosh, his cape transformed.

It split raggedly down the middle, deforming until long, bat-like wings were emerging from his back. Their translucent membranes nearly glowed in the soft moonlight streaming in from the window.

Meta Knight went to close it.

He drew the curtains, letting them cover the room in darkness.

Then, he went back to his exercises.

Up, up, up, his wings stretched, their tips easily brushing the ceiling. Then they slowly flexed forward, creating a light gust that made the curtains shimmy as they did so.

Then they went backwards, just as slow.

As he pumped his wings back and forth, he held his body still, but felt the soothing sway.

It wasn’t like flight - but if preformed nightly, it was an adequate substitute (at the cost of some of his sleep - but he was an insomniac anyways).

He had been having a harder time going on actual flights with His Majesty watching him.

It had been what seemed like ages - but was actually a short time since Nightmare’s defeat and the collapse of Holy Nightmare Enterprises.

His Majesty was in a bit of a funk, and when he wasn’t taking it out on Escargoon, Kirby, or the Cappies, he was grumbling about Meta Knight’s disloyalty.

Sire had a grudge. His eyes (and cameras) were firmly fixed on the knight, waiting for him to slip up.

He would turn his wings into a catastrophe.

He nearly had before, having come close to seeing them in the past.

It was because of this planet - even before Nightmare’s defeat, the lull of Dreamland was a siren song to his weary, war-worn body. It had made him incautious at times (though not as badly as in his youth, thank goodness).

It was what he hated the most about this planet.

Besides the demon beasts that the king bought, of course.

But that was something that no longer happened.

There were no demon beasts in Dreamland.

Except for...


	2. Chapter 1

“What was it you wanted to meet me for, sir?” murmured Meta Knight.

The GSA had contacted him, saying they they had sensitive information and for him to come aboard their Destroya.

He had accepted, and went to the control room as agreed.

“Deep within one of the Destroya’s logs, we discovered a list that was sent to the captain of said ship.” Sir Arthur explained. “It was heavily coded, but we finally cracked it - it contains information on the actions and whereabouts of Nightmare’s forces as of the time the message was sent.”

Meta Knights eyes flashed white with shock. “Truly?!” He exclaimed, hardly daring to believe such a fortunate find.

“Yes! And while some of it will obviously be outdated by now, we’ve already discovered the location of several prisoners of war. I’ll show you...” Arthur pressed a button on the console, bringing up a menu of documents, from which he selected one labeled “NME STATUS UPDATE - DECODED”.

A large text file immediately popped up on screen. Several sections had been highlighted, including the parts mentioning the locations of NME’s strongest off-homebase monsters, their rarest and most volatile supplies, and their POW.

Meta Knight’s eyes flew over the screen, reading nearly faster than he’d ever before.

His eyes were drawn to the POW section.

Names that he remembered both fondly and with grief were plastered to the screen, announcing the fates of his dearest friends.

Mace Knight - executed stardate 2-130020-8-19

Axe Knight - executed stardate 2-130020-8-19.

Javelin Knight - executed stardate 2-130020-8-19.

Trident Knight - executed stardate 2-130020-8-19.

Captain Vul - executed stardate 2-130020-8-15.

His breath hitched.

The current stardate was 2-130020-10-7.

Had the chance to save them slipped away so soon? Just months prior?

Having heard nothing from them for so long, he suspected something went wrong - but to know for sure that they were all dead?

His crew? His closest friends?

It was a blow he couldn’t take in his exhausted state.

Meta Knight stumbled backwards, away from the screen.

“Sir!” Sir Percival exclaimed, reaching for him in concern, and then to assist him as Meta Knight tripped over his cape. He helped him back to his feet.

“Sir...” Percival repeated. His eyebrows furrowed under his helmet.

Meta Knight closed his eyes, which shone grey with grief. He was grateful for the shadows of his mask, which hid the tears clinging to his lashes.

The room was silent for several long minutes as they grieved.

Eventually, Sir Arthur gained the fortitude to speak. “Meta Knight, you should continue reading... it is not all bad news. Not completely.”

Meta Knight turned back towards the screen, the words bleary and blurred until he blinked. As much as it pained him, he continued to read.

More names flew by, more fates announced.

None sent as hard a pang of sadness as his crew - until his eye caught on a line towards the end.

Galacta Knight - contained stardate 2-130020-7-20, requesting Agent 664’s help in determining how subject escaped.

His eyes flashed white in shock again.

Galacta Knight had been a name he hadn’t heard in so long.

“We finally found them,” Arthur said, eyes gleaming with hope, “They’re still alive.”

“We could still get them back...” whispered Percival, fists clenched.

Meta Knight was silent for a moment, still holding back tears. “I dare not to hope - it’s been so long...”

“My friend!” exclaimed Galahad, “Galacta Knight has shown they still have the willpower, if they’re escaped so recently! We must have hope!”

Lancelot nodded in agreement.

“...You’re right,” Meta Knight quickly wiped a hand under his mask and over his eyes, brushing away his tears. “And we must hurry if we want to hold onto that hope.”

————

They put together their plan in a week. This gave them enough time to inform Pupu village of their departure.

It also gave them enough time to gather all necessary supplies.

Food was obviously needed (lots of it, as Kirby was coming), as was water, soap, and other necessities. Tago sold all to them.

Sorely lacking in the formerly demon beast-owned vessel was entertainment, so Gengu was delighted in providing board games for them.

Mechanical supplies were also needed, bought mainly from Gus.

Though sad to see them leave for a while, the villagers certainly weren’t sad about the business.

One villager didn’t care about business though.

“Sir Meta Knight...” Fumu said, “You’re leaving?”

“Yes, Fumu. It is my duty.” Meta said from his perch on the bench in the middle of town.

“But why does Kirby have to go... he’s just a baby!” Her eyes were worried.

“Fumu - Kirby may be young, but he has incredible strength and versatility. His help is something that the Galaxy Soldier Army needs, especially in this fight.” Even if Meta Knight didn’t completely agree with Sir Arthur’s decision to bring Kirby, he wouldn’t deny his usefulness.

“He has already defeated countless demon beasts on his own - with the help of the GSA’s top soldiers, he will defeat even more.”

Fumu was silent for a moment.

“Just... just watch out for him, ok? Promise me, Sir Meta Knight!” She clasped her hands together.

“I will. All of the GSA will. We will have his back.”

Fumu stated at him, then finally nodded.

Meta Knight hopped off the bench and walked away, the metal of his boots clinking against the stone.

His wings felt restless.

————

If he heard about something cool, he went to investigate it.

Bun was rather simple in this respect.

And there were few things cooler than Meta Knight and the Galaxy Soldier Army, so to hear that they were planning a rescue mission for one of their numbers? He had to learn more.

So he began to stalk them.

Now, normally Bun wasn’t very stealthy, but the determination of a little boy was not something to be messed with, and for once, he used that brain of his.

He had grown up toddling around Meta Knight, so that would probably get him caught, but the others? They didn’t know him, and judging by how some of them acted around the village children, they were mostly unaccustomed to being in the presence of youngsters.

Most awkward with the children, and least attentive (as far as he could tell), was Sir Percival.

He was the perfect target.

Sir Percival had a bit of a routine. Short-fused even with his closest teammates, he would regularly storm out of the landed Destroya and sulk by the fountain in the castle.

He would then either take a walk to cool off before making his way back to the ship, or continue fuming - in which case, one of his companions would eventually come to talk to him.

All Bun had to do was wait for him by a balcony overlooking the fountain until he talked about Galacta Knight with his companions!

It was only a day before the launch when he heard it, but they finally brought the mysterious knight up.

The GSA soldier to come this time was none other than Meta Knight, nearly giving Bun a heart attack as he ducked down out of sight from the cloaked knight.

“Percival.” he heard through the courtyard.

Newly emerging late afternoon crickets were his only reply.

There was a shuffling sound, and a clink. Bun recognized it as the familiar sound of the knight hopping up onto something.

“I know you do not know them as well as I do, but Galacta Knight needs you.”

“I know!” There was the sound of a fist on stone, and Bun flinched. “I know, dammit... but... look, aren’t you worried this’ll be like Jerca?”

“Don’t you think I worry about that too? That it will all be for nothing? That I’ll have to kill another one of my best friends? Of course I do. Of course I fucking do, Percival.” Bun clamped a hand over his mouth to prevent a gasp escaping.

“I worry about that more than anything. It’s what keeps me sleepless these days. But I need to stay strong on the off chance they can be saved. You need to stay strong too.”

“....Ok.”

There was a soft sigh.

“What were - are they like? I mean, I only met them, what - three times? And that’s not counting that battle, where we obviously didn’t have much time to socialize...”

“They are unbelievably loyal. That’s the foremost thing I can say about them. They are also brave, intelligent, humorous, and strong. And quite a bit like you in some ways.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Particularly temper wise.”

“Hah! Yeah, I heard they had a legendary temper.”

“And a legendary right hook.”

“Experienced it yourself?”

“...”

“No way! What happened?”

“Ah... we... got off on the wrong foot.”

“Oh my god, you need to tell that story, but I know you won’t...”

“Correct.”

“But, what else were they like? I know they’re worth fighting for, but I want to know who I’m fighting for. It will give me even more determination, I think.”

“I understand. Galacta Knight, down to their soul, lives only for their friends and family. They’ve completed dedicated themself to protecting others. The number one reason I still have hope is because of that. They’d rather die in agony than ever betray us.”

Underneath his hair, Bun’s eyes sparkled with awe.

He had to meet Galacta Knight.

————

The day of their departure, everything went exactly the opposite of “according to plan” - for everyone.

It didn’t seem that way at first, however.

In fact, it seemed like it was going perfectly.

Kirby was successfully steered away from the food as it was being loaded into the cargo hold, all the soldiers reported minimum interference from Dedede, and everything else was right on schedule.

Things were going good for Bun too.

He crept quietly around the corner, then dashed into the open cargo hold. As quick as he could, he ducked behind some crates, just in time to avoid the gaze of a passing soldier - one he didn’t recognize as being part of main command - who walked by.

His heart beat quick and he wore an excited grin. He was doing it! He was going to meet Galacta Knight!

“Bun!” The angry whisper shattered his fantasies.

He turned to see his sister peeking around the box at him.

“What do you think you’re doing?! Can’t you see they’re about to leave!?”

“That’s the point, sis!” He whispered back.

“What!? Are you crazy?!” Fumu grabbed his arm, “Come on, we’re going back home, and you’re telling Mom and Dad what you nearly did!” She began dragging him towards the opening.

Bun protested, digging his feet into the metal floor. “No! This might be my only chance to see Galacta Knight! They said they might be turned into a demon beast!” he hissed.

“And you still want to meet them?!?”

They were so distracted with their quiet argument, they didn’t notice the soldier fiddling with the controls.

Until the door shut with a clunk.

They both froze.

“Wait!!” Fumu cried “We’re still in here!!”

There was no response. The walls of the ship were too thick.

“I guess I’ll have to tell Mom and Dad what I DID do, and you have to too!” Bun said cheekily.

Fumu clutched her face in aggravation.


	3. Chapter 2

Fumu pinched her brother’s cheek admonishingly. “This is all your fault!”

“Ow! Ow! Sis! I’m sorry!” Bun wailed.

Fumu pinched harder, but then let go in order to clutch at her face again. “Argh! What are we going to do?! The ship is going to leave any second now, and it’ll take us with it!”

Bun rubbed his cheek. “Again, that’s the point...” he mumbled, too quiet for her to hear.

“We don’t even know how long it will take us to reach the outpost!”

Bun stood up and began poking around some of the surrounding boxes.

“What are you doing?!”

Bun popped open a large box. The lid flipped open, revealing it to be stuffed with packets of jerky.

“I’m making sure we won’t starve - if it’s gonna take that long!” He said simply.

“Then what about the bathroom, huh?” Fumu glared.

Bun wordlessly pointed to the corner.

“Ew! You’re disgusting!”

“Well, I’m not gonna wet myself!” He stuck his tongue out at Fumu.

Fumu threw up her hands, “I can’t believe you! First you -“ 

She was cut off by shaking and the hum of engines.

“Yeah!” Bun exclaimed, “We’re off to see Galacta Knight!”

Fumu growled.

———

Meta Knight silently led Kirby down the hallway.

Their steps were very different. Kirby’s were light and happy - softened by his paw pads, while Meta Knight’s clinked heavily and resolutely in his armor.

The Destroya had taken off and while they were making enough space between them and Popstar that they could safely enter warp-drive, there was enough time for a quick training session before they had to hunker down.

Kirby kept glancing excitedly at Meta Knight. Once he had gotten into the groove of things, they’d both began enjoying training together.

Kirby especially, since sometimes - if he did really well - Meta Knight would sneak him a piece of candy from his cape!

Kirby didn’t know how they didn’t fall out. He’d tried mimicking him once with a blanket and a bowl of taffy, but that just made a sticky mess that got him in trouble with Lady Memu...

While Kirby was musing about capes and candy (mostly candy), he ended up bumping into Meta Knight. His mentor had paused in front of a door in order to open it, and looked behind himself eyes shifting pink with subtle amusement.

“Were you thinking of something, Kirby?” he rumbled quietly. “I noticed you stopped babbling, and then you ran into me. Was... candy on your mind?”

Kirby’s sapphire eyes widened. How could he tell? Did Meta Knight read minds?

Meta Knight chuckled at his expression. “You were drooling slightly.” He explained.

Kirby blushed and wiped his face as Meta Knight turned back around and went through the door to the training room. As he did, he called back, “You will have to work hard if you want some, Kirby.”

Kirby quickly followed him.

———

By the time their training was done, Kirby was exhausted as always. And as always, Meta Knight looked completely unruffled.

Kirby’s eyes shined. Maybe one day he’d be like that? But for now he was just content with candy.

Kirby was tempted to make grabby paws at Meta Knight’s cape, but he’d been gently swatted and refused candy the last time he did that, so he settled for staring hungrily at him.

Meta Knight couldn’t help but let out a quiet chuckle as he pulled out a lollipop. “Hah. With a stare like that, you’ll surely scare your enemies.”

Kirby completely ignored whatever he was going on about, content with eating his candy.

Meta Knight couldn’t help but feel slightly lighter looking at his protégé, even with the mission looming on the horizon.

Kirby was somewhat miraculous in that manner.

Soon, Kirby was nearing completion of his treat, only a tiny bead of red sugar left on the stick.

The intercom clicked on.

“Attention, we are about to enter warp-drive! I repeat, we are about to enter warp-drive. Please brace yourself.”

Kirby ate the last of his lollipop (including the stick) and glanced up at the ceiling, confused.

“Do you remember the last time you were in a spaceship, Kirby?” Meta Knight asked him. “We entered warp-drive in order to travel to Nightmare’s base. We will be doing the same, but this time to an outpost. Steady yourself.”

Kirby firmly planted his feet on the mat of the training room.

The ship entered warp-drive.

———

As the ship rattled, Fumu and Bun were thankful for the heavy weight of the crates to brace themselves against.

Warp-drive didn’t feel any better the second time experiencing it. They gritted their teeth through the worst of it though.

Suddenly, the warp ended, with the ship slowing rapidly.

Fumu and Bun both stumbled, but stayed upright, still gripping the boxes.

A third stowaway was not so lucky.

Rolling to a stop in front of them, to their shock, was a Waddle Dee!

“Huh?” said Bun.

The Waddle Dee quivered as it tried to right itself, still affected by vertigo.

“A Waddle Dee? What is it doing here?” Fumu wondered, stepping out from behind the crate, having regained her balance.

“Maybe it got lost?” Bun offered, leaning over his crate to peer at the small creature.

“Hmm. Maybe Dedede sent it to spy and it got stuck? Why didn’t we see it before, though?” Fumu held her hand to her mouth ponderingly.

“The Waddle Dees are sometimes kinda shy, right? Maybe this one is extra shy?” Bun shrugged.

“But if it’s extra shy, why would it climb into a spaceship!” Fumu threw her hands up.

The Waddle Dee, now upright, flinched.

Fumu blinked. “Ah, sorry. Did I scare you?”

The Waddle Dee shrunk in on itself and hesitantly nodded.

“I guess it is extra shy?” Fumu said to Bun before turning back to the small creature.

“I’m sorry. But can I ask you why you’re here? Were you sent by the king?” Fumu questioned it.

The Waddle Dee shook its head.

“Really? Did someone else send you, then?”

It shook its head again, a bit slower this time.

Fumu stared at it. “So you came here by yourself? Why? Were you... curious?”

The Waddle Dee nodded, timidly shuffling its feet.

“Huh,” Bun piped in “You don’t see too many Waddle Dees that go investigating things by themselves.” He scratched his head. “I wonder what it was curious about?”

“Hopefully not the same thing that made you sneak aboard.” Fumu crossed her arms.

“What’s with that sudden dig?!”

Fumu whirled around. “I’m still mad at you! You -”

She was cut off yet again, this time by the hiss of a piston.

All three heads turned to see the door to the rest of the ship clunking open, revealing the shocked face of a soldier.

Bun waved sheepishly.

Fumu hit him.

The Waddle Dee cowered.

The soldier accepted this as his life.

———

“Um, Sirs?”

Meta Knight shifted slightly in the wrap of his cloak, turning to look at the speaker.

“One of the deckhands found some stowaways in the cargo hold... They’re being brought here.”

The small, pudgy deckhand adjusted his helmet nervously at the resulting stares from the other knights in the command center.

“Is it the king, the children, or someone else?” Meta Knight’s tone was weary and straightforward.

The deckhand relayed the question through his radio, before turning back to the knight. “It’s... not the king, thankfully. I believe it’s two children, and... a Waddle Dee?”

Meta Knight sighed. He felt a migraine coming on. He had just finished seeing off Kirby to his room, anticipating a brief break on the bridge, but he supposed this was what he had to deal with.

He was not happy.

Minutes later, the door opened with a whoosh. Meta Knight faced the door as it did so.

He didn’t break his cross stare with Fumu, Bun, and the Waddle Dee, even as they flinched.

“I’m disappointed in you.”

They all flinched again, somber expressions taking over their faces.

“What exactly did you think you were doing? This is a very dangerous mission, and we will be unable to properly perform our duties in rescuing Galacta Knight with you here. We will have to turn around, delaying their rescue.” Meta Knight was not very happy at all.

Fumu flinched the hardest this time, stung by the sheer disappointment of her mentor.

She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Percival. “Haven’t they already been in a situation like this before? They can handle it, right?”

Under his cape, Meta Knight’s fists clenched.

“They are children,” Meta Knight stressed. “And there was a necessity that time, as Dreamland was under fire. Now it is not necessary. We need to turn around and get them home.”

“I’m afraid we have new information that might change your views on that, Meta Knight.” Arthur said.

He pressed a button on the console.

“Agent 664 here.” a raspy voice sounded from the speakers. “Requesting any nearby ships to link up communication at Cetus Outpost, help us find out what went wrong.”

“Yamikage!” hissed Percival.

“That message is one we’ve just picked up, but has apparently been on loop for a while. It came from the base we are raiding. That traitor Yamikage is there - we can kill two birds with one stone. Get Galacta Knight, and get Yamikage.” Arthur announced.

“We have no idea when Yamikage will leave, so we must act now.” he continued.

Meta Knight’s eyes briefly flashed red with frustration, but he nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Percival, who’s not good with children: kids can handle literal warfare, right? I mean, I did.  
> Meta Knight: what the fuck are you on, NO  
> Arthur, a pragmatist: well, it doesn’t matter. We need to go anyways, so let’s bring em with!  
> Meta Knight, the only sane man: *murder eyes*


	4. NOTICE!!!

I’m sorry to inform you that due to the California fires, I likely won’t be writing for some time. 

I’m currently ok, and so are my pets and family, but idk if my house is.

I’m not really in the mood to write.

Thank you for your patience.


End file.
